Decision of a Lifetime
by Cimar of Turalis
Summary: Kent watches as the love of his life is about to vanish away. What will happen when he decides to leave Caelin and his plan is discovered by the one who he wanted to not find out? One shot.


**Ok, this has been revised somewhat...ok, alot. Massively overhauled would be a more apt term. Should be much better than before thanks to a very helpful reviewer named Ramenluver. So have fun reading!**

**I mean it....**

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What is going through that man's head? We're going to be late for the others if he doesn't hurry up.

Lynn paced impatiently through the halls of Castle Caelin, her footsteops clicking off the cobblestone floor as she wondered where in Elibe the swordsman could be.

_Maybe he went back to his room for something…_ she thought, as she stopped pacing. _I should probably check there again, just in case...._

Lynn turned towards the knight's hall, hoping that he would just be chatting idly with some of the other knights of Castle Caelin. Several minutes later, she arrived at the knight's quarters, perturbed that nobody, particularly him, was in sight. She made her way over to his door, groaning as she saw small pieces of white parchment sticking out from his door.

_We definitely need to increase security around here…_Lynn muttered under her breath as she tore several notes that had been stuffed into the doorframe. Several had hearts drawn on the outside, while others smelled like they had been dipped into a rancid bucket of perfume. Slightly gagging from the smell, she glanced around while cautiously opening one of the notes; her curiosity peaked about its contents. A mixture of laughter and bile crawled their way up the back of her throat as she read the message...and saw that the authoress had even left Kent a portrait of her…in a wedding dress.

"Kent, you are going to get in trouble one of these days," Lynn chuckled as she rapped loudly on the door. No noise came from the other side of door, so after a minute, she knocked again, a little louder than before.

_Maybe he is sleeping…_

She started pushing the door open a crack before stopping herself.

_What am I doing?_ She thought. _I can't just barge into his room like this…_ She pulled the door back shut, cursing her impetuousness. As she began walking away from the door, she hesitated. She glanced back at the door, weighing her options of whether it would be better to intrude upon her friend, or to be even more late for their meeting.

They were already an hour late for the scheduled trip to meet with Eliwood and Hector at the gates of the castle because of Kent. The knight had claimed he needed to get something from his room, yet after almost a half hour of waiting, Lynn had decided to go looking for the knight as she knew his room was only a couple minutes away at most.

_We do need to get going…_ her mind asserted as she pondered bout what to do. She reluctantly headed back to the door, groaning inwardly as she opened it quickly so she wouldn't have the time to second guess herself.

She took a few steps in, stopping when she came to the center of the room.

"Kent, are you in here?" she yelled, glancing around the room. It was a fairly normal sized chamber she noticed as she walked around the room, although a little more space had been added as Kent was one of the top knights in the castle guard. Otherwise, his room actually was quite…plain.

Lynn knew something about how gaudy some of the knights were in decorating their personal spaces, Sain being particularly notorious around the castle. Most added personal tributes to themselves or adorning their rooms with trophies that they had collected. As she walked around Kent's room, she noticed he had none of those.

She sat down on the only thing she could in the room, the knight's small, average looking bed in the corner. She was surprised when she sat down, as the light blue sheets, folded neatly without a wrinkle or crease, were deceivingly uncomfortable to sit on, let alone sleep in. She left the bed, wondering why Kent lived in such Spartan conditions when he was the chief knight of the castle. She paused at a worn looking dresser under a nearby window. Touching it, she was surprised to find it wobble under her light touch. Kneeling down, she saw that one of the legs was snapped in half, a small block of wood doing a woeful job of keeping it steady. Besides it sat an equaling forlorn looking lamp, supported by an equally decrepit nightstand, a single, well used candle sitting unused in its holder. She stepped away from the depressing sight, idly walking toward the only remaining piece of furniture left in the room, forgetting the reason as to why she was even here, as a new question began gnawing at her mind.

She knew Kent to be a clean freak, and the table and chair she reached seemed to match that perfectly. The wooden table was polished to a glossy finish; how he did it she didn't quite know. She grabbed the chair next to the table, leaning against it as she examined the knight's belongings. Journals and books were stacked in neat little piles while his papers were stacked neatly on top of one another, except for one….

Her eyes glanced over the folded parchment that sat in the middle of his desk.

_That's odd…._

She let go of the chair as she reached towards the note.

_It's almost like he wanted it to be there…._

Her curiosity only was roused further when she noticed her name etched onto the back of the note, written in a beautiful style of calligraphy that took her breath away. She had seen this style only a few times before, yet always was captivated by its simple, resounding beauty. She had told her grandfather about it one day, idly mentioning how it was her favorite type of writing.

_Did grandfather tell him about this…? _She wondered, unfolding the paper as her breathing tensed slightly.

_Dearest Lyndis,_

That instantly caught her attention.

_Dearest? Since when had he considered her dearest?_ She read on, captivated by what might lay in store in the rest of the paper.

_Ever since we met, we have been together,_

_Thick and thin, friends forever._

_Through daunting challenges, trials, and wars,_

_You were always with me, and I was yours._

_You never knew, nor dared I tell, the times and laughs we shared_

_Were all meant to show how much I cared._

_I never spoke, nor tried to tell,_

_My heart to quell its beating trail._

_The moon in all its glory cannot begin to start_

_A comparison to the beauty of your heart._

_I dared not utter my feelings,_

_Since I was so undeserving of someone like you._

_I am undeserving of your time, talents or affection,_

_I am a mere knight, no one to take pause or reflection._

_When compared to those around,_

_I feel insignificant, as an ant might feel watching a passing cloud._

_You need much more than someone like me,_

_To comfort, guide and let your heart fly free._

_I wished I could give you everything and more._

_No words can express my love towards you._

_No flowers can compare in color to the beauty of your eyes._

_No sunbeam in all its brilliance can fill my heart with warmth like that of your smile._

_No music can sound that would lift me up more than your musical laughter. _

_You are the warmth that fills my life._

_You are the wings that bear me up each day._

_You are the beauty of my life, surpassing the roses in your splendor._

_You deserve the world, but all I could give is my heart and life._

_I cannot stay any longer here in your service. I feel as if I could not offer you as much as you deserve, especially with all that you have given me. You've given me life. The most precious of gifts and for that I cannot even begin to repay you. I know your feelings for Eliwood and his for you. Compared to him…I am of little consequence. _

_He has the world to give…I have only my heart. _

_He can buy your happiness…I'm not worthy to even beg for a smile._

_I know what he planned on asking you today, and I could not bear to be there when it happened. So as such, I am resigning my position and leaving Caelin for good. I could not bear to be in your presence, knowing I could never be with you. If I even see your face, one last time…I fear my world would forever crash down upon me…as well upon your future. Farewell…forever._

_Always yours,_

_Kent_

The paper gently floated to the floor, her hands trembling from the shock of what she had just read. She stared at the empty space between her hands, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Questions ran through her mind faster than the wind.

_Why didn't he tell me this before? Why did he have to leave this way?_

As her mind flooded with memories, she curled her hands into fists as a flood of anger began churning inside of her, battling with the rising tide of despair that raged against it.

_How could he have done this? I, I…._

A sound at the door turned her attention away from the note, jerking her eyes towards the door, a bit startled to see who was there.

Kent looked up from the door, regretting returning to his room in an instant. He dropped the bag he was holding to the floor when he saw Lynn, standing near his desk, a look of utter despair mixed with anger in her expression. He had hoped to escape from the castle before she realized his plans, but all of that seemed out of the question now.

"I forgot my sword…for the trip today," he muttered, cursing his luck under his breath as Lynn's eyes penetrated into his soul. He lowered his head to avoid his gaze while walking swiftly across the room, trying to avoid the stare coming from her emerald eyes.

"Didn't know that you were in here," he mumbled as he grabbed his sword from the wall. "I'll be outside…waiting."

He turned back towards the door, trying to leave the uncomfortable situation as soon as possible. As he reached for the door handle, a hand gently pushed the door close before his eyes. Slowly, his head turned, facing the gaze that he longed to escape from.

_She had read it._

Kent felt his face burn under her emerald green gaze, the earlier confusion in her eyes vanishing behind a veil of sorrow. Oh, how he hated seeing her heartbroken. He felt a yearning burning desire to wipe away her tears, hold her tenderly in his arms while speaking to her softly, trying to make her feel better. Yet he knew it was he who had caused the tears this time, and he was responsible for her sorrow. A wave of pain hit him as the full impact of what he had written crashed into him like a flood of water.

How he hated himself at that moment.

"Look," he began, trying his hardest not to look into her eyes, to meet her penetrating gaze. Closing his eyes, he tried to find the words he would use, but nothing came.

"I can explain…"

The rest of his words never made it past his lips as he felt something soft press against them. He opened his eyes, only to find Lynn, wrapping her arms around him, her lips meeting his. For a moment he froze, for the first time in his life unsure about what to do.

He pulled her arms away from him gently as she moved her lips away from his, shock registering on her face. He reached towards her, brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen across her face, setting it back into place, not knowing what he was doing.

"I'm sorry," he stammered as confusion etched its way onto her face. "I can't do this…not when Eliwood…."

"I don't care about what Eliwood thinks," she interjected, silencing his pleas with a single finger to his lips. Just her touch sent chills down his spine.

He stumbled for words that would save him from this situation. Oh, how he wanted to kiss her back, to feel her body next to his, but, he knew another man was waiting to do the same.

"I…I saw how Eliwood felt about you," he began, stumbling over his words but feeling lighter as each leapt from his tongue…"and your feelings towards him. I do not want to spoil what you two have with my own feelings so I…."

Her finger returned to his lips, silencing the knight easily.

"I do love Eliwood," she replied, as he felt his heart sink within him at her words, his soul despairing at each syllable, "But not how you think I do."

Shock registered across Kent's face as she continued. "I know what he is planning for today, and I know how you feel as well thanks to that," she said, pointing towards note that lay abandoned on the floor." She paused for a moment as his chestnut eyes finally met hers.

Her words stunned him for several seconds before his heart caught hold on her words. He felt the vibrant force of his emotion burst back into life as for once in his life, tears of joy began forming in his eyes.

"Then…does that mean…?" he couldn't finish the question before she sent him a soft smile.

"I've already told him my answer to his question." Kent paused at her question, confusion mixing in with the feelings.

"He already had asked me to marry him last week." Kent's eyes widened as she continued. "I told him that I couldn't do it, that…" she glanced back at him, her smile widening, "I already had someone I loved…you."

Kent was shocked into silence for several long moments as his whole frame shook with an exhilarating joy. "You…loved me?"

She nodded, "Always have. Just needed to know how to get it out of you but it seems like you found a way to do that without my help," she said smiling.

"I don't think some silly poetry suffices in describing my feelings though…" he mumbled, locking his gaze onto hers.

"Why? I thought it was beautiful," she stated.

Now it was his turn to smile, "It wasn't accurate enough. It needed something to prove my love to you."

Lynn's breath caught in her throat as he leaned down, pressing his lips softly into hers. As they connected, she felt the tenseness in her body release, a fire kindling inside her body that pulled her ever closer to him. She felt the warmth of his body against her, his presence electrifying her entire frame. She pulled away slowly, enjoying the moment as she finally realized her dream. Their eyes met as she giggled softly.

"I believe we still need to meet with Eliwood," she stated quickly, as Kent's eyes seemed to dim for a moment before she continued.

"He plans on helping with the preparations' for our wedding so I would hate to keep him waiting this long."

Kent chuckled, its echoes reverberating from the walls.

"So that is what this whole trip was about." His laughter was infectious, spreading to her in a moment.

"It seems like we have been keeping him waiting for an hour now haven't we?" he replied. "What does a couple more minutes mean then…?"

Lynn returned his smile, giggling softly.

"I told him that we would be there, and a Sacean never lies,"she replied.

Kent laughed, "Well, we will just have to tell him you got, _sidetracked…._"

*

Outside Kent's room, several sighs bounced off of the door and back towards the people waiting with their ears placed against the doorframe. Florina, Serra and Sain all had their heads against the door, large smiles on their faces.

"Did he finally pop the question?" came a hushed voice from behind them. Sain turned towards Will who had the largest smile Sain had ever seen on his face.

"Not yet, but I believe that will be coming soon."  
"How can you tell that for sure?" contended Erk who was standing next to Will, albeit leaning against the wall, un-amused at the groups childishness.

A sudden click came from the door as it swung inward, causing Florina, Serra and Sain all to tumble into the room, landing in a confused mess on the floor. They glanced nervously into the faces of Lynn and Kent who were smiling mischievously.

"In answer to Erk's question," Lynn began as she reached down, helping Florina and Serra back to their feet. The Pegasus knight smiled nervously while Serra had the largest grin on her face.

"They can't get married yet, they don't have the rings yet silly," the cleric said matter-of-factly towards Erk, who rolled his eyes in response. Serra turned back towards the other members of the group, "So you will all have to wait until then!"

Kent and Lynn looked into one another's eyes as he reached out for her hand, grasping it in his. The conversation and congratulations of their friends seemed to swirl around them as a fog. Nothing could have been able to distract them from each other as they both imagined what the future would hold for them…together.

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Hope that you enjoyed this little one shot. And no, I'm not taking sides as to who I want Lyndis to be with most in Fire Emblem...I just thought of this idea and it simply flowed from there on out.


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